Anyone out there have any experience with broken bass strings on Yamaha P22 models ? I was tuning a school piano today and admiring the string splice the previous guy or one before him did on A1#. Wound bass string, spice at the tuning pin. It seemed I only put the hammer on A1
and whamo it broke clean at the coil. Now I get my chance to tie the knot. I'm 99.9% sure I did not go sharp on the string yet it just snapped like a stick. I left it in the bottom of the piano and left a note with the music teacher. It looks like I'll be staying after school- I did not have any wire with me to splice with. Any history of this as a problem ? Also where can one get replacement wheels- directly from Yamaha ? They roll this piano around and one of the wheels
locks up they tell me.

I always try to have schools invest in a bolt-on piano truck (dolly) if they move the piano at all. The original casters don't last long rolling over door thresholds. I do run into broken bass strings on Yamaha's alot. Don't worry about it, but you should call the supply house and have them make you a string. You may need to use a larger diameter tuning pin as well. Charge the school - it's not your fault.

I totally agree with Bob.

This can happen with any piano. It's a lot more common with pianos in high-usage environments.

Sometimes a string is fatiqued or has a flaw in it, and it's right on the verge of breaking. Next person who touches it, or even plays the note solidly, BANG. It was simply that string's time.

If you were to have seen it under a microscope just before breaking, you would have seen a big flaw in the metal right at the point it broke.

In any case, in a normal "healthy" string even if you do go sharp with it (within reason), it won't break. Only "sick" strings break.

Regards,

Rick Clark

Thanks for all of the responses. I will be returning in a few days to deal with this. At least there is plenty to splice with. Im glad it didn't happen on the grand I tuned for a concert 2 weeks ago. I tell you it sure caught me by surprise. Kaboom. And the tuning was going so well. Have a "sticky key" piano in the am- client last tuned it a year ago and only wants the sticky
keys fixed. I'm sure its in tune. Just like the
45 cent flat one I did yesterday.